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Ukraine’s President Zelensky calls for ‘meaninful conversations’ with Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Vladimir Putin to meet for peace talks saying 'the war must end'.
Ukraine has pleaded for an end to the conflict with Russia (Picture: SWNS/AFP/AP)

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Vladimir Putin to meet for peace talks, saying ‘the war must end’.

His announcement follows another day of heavy shelling across the country

Hypersonic missiles reportedly destroyed a large underground ammunition depot and Ukrainian radio centres have been attacked near to Odesa.

Terrified residents continue to shelter in besieged cities such as Kyiv and Maripoul.

But Russian forces continue to hit setbacks and their advance has ‘largely stalled’.

Mr Zelensky has now called for the Russian President to meet for ‘meaninful conversations’ before it is too late.

In a video address, he said: ‘I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk.

LVIV, UKRAINE, MARCH 15: Ukrainian displaced civilians wait in the train station as they flee from the war in Lviv, Ukraine on March 15, 2022. Since the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine on February 24th, more than 2.6 million civilians have been displaced into neighboring countries. (Photo by Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian displaced civilians say farewells as they flee from Lviv (Picture: Getty Images)
A man helps Ukrainian soldiers searching for bodies in the debris at the military school hit by Russian rockets the day before, in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, on March 19, 2022. - Ukrainian media reported that Russian forces had carried out a large-scale air strike on Mykolaiv, killing at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers at their brigade headquarters. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
A man helps Ukrainian soldiers search for bodies at a destroyed military school in Mykolaiv (Picture: AFP)

‘The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.

‘Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover.

‘The war must end. Ukraine’s proposals are on the table.’

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned peace talks could be used as a ‘smokescreen’ for the Kremlin to regroup troops for a fresh offensive.

She told The Times: ‘If a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn’t indiscriminately bomb civilians that day.

‘What we’ve seen is an attempt to create space for the Russians to regroup.’

But she added: ‘Of course, Ukraine as a sovereign nation is fully entitled to undertake any negotiation process it sees fit.’

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen that he had pledged to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.

He said he was ‘more convinced than ever’ that Russia’s military venture would fail.

BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his keynote speech during the Conservative Party Spring Conference at the Blackpool Winter Gardens on March 19, 2022 in Blackpool, England. The Spring conference in Blackpool offers a chance for party delegates to meet senior Party figures, attend training sessions, hear speeches, and meet up with fellow members and activists to explore Conservative plans for the future of the country. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Putin has ‘underestimated western unity’ (Getty Images)
A general view of 109 empty prams placed in the center of Lviv during the
Empty prams were lined up in Lviv to highlight the lives of children which have been lost (Picture: Reuters)

Mr Johnson said now was the time to ‘tighten the vice’ on Moscow and Putin.

He said: ‘He will fail, because in his catastrophic venture in Ukraine he fatally underestimated the heroism and the resolve of the Ukrainians to fight.

‘He underestimated western unity.

‘And among other things, by the way, he underestimated the passionate commitment of the people in this country to help.’

Aid agencies are still being prevented from reaching people trapped in cities surrounded by Russian forces, the UN’s World Food Programme has warned.

It comes as the number of children killed in the conflict rose to 112.

More than 100 pushchairs were lined up today in the western city of Lviv on Friday to remember the children who have been killed since the start of the war.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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